Agricultural by-products can effectively replace expensive conventional poultry feed, reducing environmental waste while maintaining animal health. A study conducted by a collaborative team of researchers from the University of Abuja, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, the Sumitra Research Institute, and the Lake Chad Research Institute evaluated how processed unripe plantain peel flour impacts broiler chicken production. Published in May 2026, the investigation demonstrates that integrating a specific commercial multi-enzyme supplement into a diet containing 10% sun-dried unripe plantain peel flour matches the growth performance of standard corn-soybean diets. This alternative feeding strategy offers a practical solution to rising production costs in the poultry sector while mitigating the pollution caused by improperly discarded organic waste.
Economic and Environmental Pressures Driving Alternative Feed Research
The global poultry industry faces a significant economic challenge due to the high cost of conventional feed ingredients like maize. Feed costs regularly account for 65% to 70% of total poultry production expenses. Because conventional grains are also consumed by humans, the competition drives up prices and reduces farming profitability.
Concurrently, food processing businesses, restaurants, and households generate vast quantities of agricultural waste, including plantain peels. When left to rot in landfills, these organic materials cause environmental pollution. Recycling plantain peels into poultry feed addresses both issues at once, advancing sustainable agriculture and lowering production costs.
However, animal nutritionists face a distinct biological obstacle: monogastric animals like chickens struggle to digest plantain peels due to their high fiber content and natural defensive chemicals, known as anti-nutritional factors. These substances, including tannins and oxalates, interfere with digestive enzymes and can damage the sensitive lining of a bird's intestinal tract, which limits nutrient absorption.
Testing Processing Methods and Enzyme Supplementation in Broiler Diets
To overcome the digestive limitations of raw plantain waste, the research team designed a 4-week experiment utilizing 196 two-week-old Cobb-500 broiler chickens. The birds were raised in a deep litter housing system at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.
The researchers sourced unripe plantain peels (Musa paradisiaca cv. 'Cadava') from local chip processing enterprises and prepared them using two distinct methods:
- Sun-dried Unripe Plantain Peel Flour (SUPPF): Peels were dried under the sun until crispy and milled into a fine powder.
- Boiled Unripe Plantain Peel Flour (BUPPF): Peels were boiled at 180°C for 40 minutes, sun-dried, and then milled.
The chickens were randomly assigned to seven distinct dietary treatments to compare the processing methods and evaluate the efficacy of two commercial multi-enzyme brands, Natuzyme and Polyzyme. The control group received a standard corn-soybean meal. The remaining six groups received diets where 10% of the maize was replaced with either sun-dried or boiled plantain peel flour, administered with or without the enzyme supplements.
At the conclusion of the 4-week trial, the researchers measured final body weight, average daily weight gain, daily feed intake, and feed conversion efficiency. Additionally, they performed microscopic examinations on the jejunum—the midsection of the small intestine—to calculate villi height, villi width, and crypt depth, which indicate the gut's overall nutrient absorptive capacity.
Key Findings: Sun-Dried Peels Combined with Commercial Enzymes Match Standard Feed
The experimental results revealed that processing techniques and enzyme choice critically determine the success of alternative feeds:
- Optimal Growth Performance: Broiler chickens fed the 10% sun-dried plantain peel diet supplemented with the commercial enzyme Natuzyme achieved a final body weight of 1,886.91 grams per bird. This growth performance was statistically comparable to the 1,942.75 grams achieved by chickens fed the expensive, standard maize control diet.
- Negative Impact of Boiling: Boiling the peels prior to drying proved counterproductive. Chickens fed the boiled plantain peel diet supplemented with Natuzyme registered the lowest final body weight at 1,692.86 grams. Nutritional analysis indicated that boiling caused a substantial loss of crucial nutrients, dropping the crude protein content of the peel flour significantly.
- Enhanced Gut Architecture: Microscopic analysis of the intestinal tissue showed that adding Natuzyme to the sun-dried plantain peel diet significantly increased the width of the intestinal villi to 210 micrometers. Wider villi expand the internal surface area of the gut, directly improving nutrient absorption and protecting the mucosal lining from microscopic damage.
Implications for Sustainable Poultry Farming and Waste Management
These findings provide a clear roadmap for poultry farmers, feed manufacturers, and environmental policymakers seeking to implement sustainable agricultural practices. By utilizing a 10% inclusion rate of sun-dried unripe plantain peel flour supplemented with an appropriate multi-enzyme, farmers can successfully substitute a portion of maize in broiler finisher diets without sacrificing bird weight or health.
This feeding strategy directly benefits livestock businesses by lowering dependency on volatile grain markets. Furthermore, it establishes a functional circular economy model for food processing industries, transforming a pervasive environmental pollutant into a valuable commodity for local livestock production.
"The addition of multi-enzymes to processed unripe plantain peel diets helps to break down complex nutrients, improve nutrient digestibility, and enhance feed efficiency," noted lead researcher Dr. M.E. Togun of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Abuja. "Our results indicate that a 10% sun-dried unripe plantain peel flour diet supplemented with Natuzyme improves the final body weight, average daily gain, and jejunal morphology of broilers, providing a viable alternative to conventional maize-based feeds."
Researcher Profiles
- Dr. M.E. Togun holds a Ph.D. in Animal Science and is a researcher in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Her expertise focuses on poultry nutrition, alternative feedstuffs, and gastrointestinal histomorphology.
- Dr. S.G. Ademola is a Professor in the Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Nigeria, specializing in monogastric nutrition and feed biochemistry.
- Dr. M.D. Shittu is an academic and researcher in the Department of Animal Production and Health at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Nigeria, with expertise in poultry management and production economics.
- Dr. O.C.P. Agubosi is a researcher in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Abuja, Nigeria, focusing on sustainable livestock production systems and agricultural waste recycling.
- Dr. J.O. Alagbe is a senior scientist at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry, Sumitra Research Institute in Gujarat, India, specializing in phytobiotics, feed additives, and avian biochemistry.
- Dr. O.M. Togun is an agricultural economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the Lake Chad Research Institute in Maiduguri, Nigeria, specializing in production economics and agricultural extension strategies.
Source Section
- Article Title: Performance and Jejunal Morphometry of Broiler Chickens Fed Processed Unripe Plantain (Musa Paradisiaca Cv. 'Cadava') Peel Flour Diets Supplemented With Multi-Enzyme
- Journal Name: International Journal of Global Sustainable Research (IJGSR)
- Publication Year: 2026
- DOI / Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijgsr.v4i5.227 - URL Resmi : https://slamultitechpublisher.my.id/index.php/ijgsr
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